Month: April 2013

Red Letter Year: 4/17

Matthew 13:31-43

31 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”

33 Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

34 Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables. 35 This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet: “I will speak to you in parables. I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.”

36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels. 40 Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”

Comments

We  have two mini-parables here that parallel each other. Both seek to help understand a few key characteristics about the kindgom of heaven. First, the kingdom has small beginnings. This was true initially and it remains true. Don’t despise small beginnings, the kingdom must begin this way. We want to short circuit the hard work it takes to achieve critical mass, but how you build matters. Here Jesus tells us that we build the kingdom by starting small. Second, the kingdom has an inherent propensity to grow. Both seeds and yeast have within them the power of expansion. Just as we should not despise small beginnings, we should not despise growth. Growth is a key characteristic of the kingdom. Where growth is absent, something is wrong. Figure out what that is, fix it, do the hard work to heal and relay the foundation (small beginning do-over) and then expect, plan for, push for the growth that comes with kingdom building. Third, the kingdom of heaven provides shade, protection, and nourishment – it exists for the benefit of the people, both those who are active participants and everyone they come in contact with. This is essential. If the community in question is not doing this, then what has been built is something other than the kingdom of heaven. Fiefdoms may or may not begin small, may or may not experience incredible growth, but fiefdoms always make serfs out of most of the people. When the kingdom of heaven is built, the king gains many brothers and sisters, many friends, many partners. And no serfs.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Red Letter Year: 4/16

Matthew 13:16-30

16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.

18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds. 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

Comments

Just a few things to note today:

  • The blessing in v.16 applies to me and you as well. We see Jesus in each other and especially in those in need and we hear the full measure of his teachings. Blessed are your eyes. Blessed are your ears. Receive those blessings today.
  • The weeds in the third type of soil are the ‘anxiety of the age’ – prosperity (or the hunger for it) chokes out the Gospel
  • It does not say the good soil did not have any weeds in it, a care-free life is not promised. In fact the second parable here tells us the opposite. The crop and the weeds grow up together – and it must be so to avoid damaging the crop. Any attempt to separate the “true” from the “false” believers can only end up hurting the true believers. Patience and unity are necessary.
  • The weeds are the work of the enemy, whose primary work is inside churches, trying to inhibit/prevent growth and fruitfulness from within.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.